Join us for a special screening of Goshen at Hotel Paradox. Reception from 5:30-6:00. Film screens at 6:00 and runs 1 hr 30 mins. The film will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. After the film, we are offering the option to join us for a private dinner with the filmmakers at Hotel Paradox. Tickets available in advance online or at the Hotel on the day of the event.

GOSHEN is a powerful award winning documentary depicting the diet and active lifestyle of the indigenous Tarahumara, a light-footed running tribe, who are striving to maintain their ancient culture against all odds. The Tarahumara are renowned for their incredible long distance running endurance and prevention of modern chronic diseases. For centuries, the Tarahumara have found a safe place of refuge in the remote regions of the Copper Canyons and Sierra Madre mountains in Chihuahua, Mexico. Recently, drought and famine have threatened the Tarahumara’s ability to sustain their ancient cultural traditions. GOSHEN takes you on a journey in the huarache-clad footsteps of these endurance athletes, highlighting the health benefits of safeguarding their way of life. Engaging and entertaining, GOSHEN will inspire you to take part in preserving the native seeds and running traditions of the Tarahumara.

Dana & Sarah Films is a woman owned documentary film production company based in Santa Cruz, California. Founders, Dana Richardson & Sarah Zentz, are the Producers and Directors of several award winning documentaries. GOSHEN has won 8 prestigious awards including the award for Best Locally Produced Film at the Santa Cruz Film Festival 2018. The documentary is a part of the permanent Film & Media Catalog at the SmithsonianInstitution's National Museum of the American Indian in New York. The film received critical acclaim in the top running magazines including Competitor, Women's Running, Trail Runner, and Ultra Running. Since the premiere at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, GOSHEN has been broadcast on FNX and PBS nationwide. Dana & Sarah Films mission is to inspire social change by empowering people with creative solutions through documentary films.

Synopsis: Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin is a feature documentary exploring the remarkable life and legacy of groundbreaking science fiction and fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 88.

Arwen Curry is a filmmaker and writer. She is an associate producer of the documentary Regarding Susan Sontag and co-produced and directed the 2006 documentary Stuffed. She coordinated the magazine Maximum Rocknroll from 1998 to 2004 and publishes the zine Ration.

Synopsis: Tormented by mental illness and hospitalized for life-threatening anorexia nervosa, a teenage girl confronts her buried emotions through yoga. Maris’s recovery story is told in her own words and those of her friends, parents, and therapist. Her journey from despair to self-acceptance is illustrated through vivid animation based on her haunting artwork and writing.

Filmmaker Bio : Laura VanZee Taylors narrative and documentary films have been selected by festivals including Hollywood Film Festival, Austin Shorts Fest, and the Academy Award-qualifying LA Shorts Fest. Her passions include arts education, mental health awareness, and the stories of women and children. Before devoting herself to filmmaking, she spent a decade working for Hallmark Cards as a Creative Strategist and Editorial Director. She is a graduate of The San Francisco School of Filmmaking and holds a Masters Degree in Theatre from University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Bachelors Degree from Lewis and Clark College.

Float

Float

Language : English

Runtime : 100 mins.

Synopsis: Follows several years-in-the-life of one of the few remaining, all-volunteer, 'self-built' Rose Parade float crews. The film is not just about floats - it examines the importance of community and looks closely at community giving, and dedication to volunteer based community projects.

Filmmaker Bio : Float is Karl Preussers first film as director, a veteran film composer/songwriter, his music credits include feature films for Universal and Paramount. Karl and his producing partner/wife Kate Preusser have volunteered with the Burbank Rose Float for ten years.

Filmmakers Karl and Kate Preusser will attend. They are also dedicated members of the Rose Parade’s “Burbank Community Float” crew.

Private Happy Hour poolside at Hotel Paradox from 5:30 - 6:30 with filmmakers, film screening at 7:00 pm with a filmmaker Q&A after the film. The film will screen in the Hotel Paradox ballroom complete with comfy lounge chairs and complimentary movie snacks.

Join us on Thursday, Aug 16 at Hotel Paradox for a special screening of independent documentary film Between Worlds, winner of the Earthvision Environmental Feature award at the 2017 Santa Cruz Film Festival. Happy hour begins at 5:30 in the Grove Room. Film screening begins at 7:00.

Come see this special Indie Film screening of "Prodigy" at Hotel Paradox on July 19.$10 ticket includes a Happy Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 in the Grove room at the Paradox, with complimentary appetizers and cash bar and a chance to meet the filmmakers.

Film screening begins at 7:00 in the Hotel Paradox ballroom. Film will be followed by a Q&A with the film's co-directors Brian Vidal and Alex Haughey.

The feature directorial debut from co-writers/co-directors Alex Haughey and Brian Vidal has a familiar premise: A misunderstood and unnaturally powerful young girl winds up in the custody of government officials and scientists who have put her on lockdown in order to discover the secret to her abilities and, as a mask for their own fear and hatred of “The Other”, for the safety and security of innocent civilians. The research team’s last ditch effort to crack the highly intelligent, dangerous, and abrasively antagonistic child is to bring in a psychologist who specializes in treating children and brings in some emotional baggage of his own. The “Indie” badge is very strong with Prodigy, for good and for ill, but it succeeds quite well in narrowing the focus to a character level, something big-budget action pics rarely do." - Review from Collider.com

Prodigy wrapped a successful festival run last year, having been accepted to nine festivals. This included trips to international affairs at Cinequest, Sedona, Buffalo, Fantaspoa (in Brazil) and Santa Cruz -- where the film won Best Narrative Feature. Released digitally in March, by the end of it's first weekend, the micro-budgeted indie found itself tangling with blockbusters, as it landed as the #2 SciFi Thriller on iTunes.The amount of interest in the film was staggering (over 50 reviews), with the tight storytelling and excellent performances praised in reviews from Collider, Bloody Disgusting, Ain't It Cool News, Starburst Magazine, and The Film Stage. The movie has continued to perform well on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. Prodigy has garnered more than 40 articles and interviews with big media outlets like The Hollywood Reporter, Latino Review Media, Slashfilm, JoBlo and a host of other outlets. The film has been embraced by the niche Horror and Sci-Fi communities -- sites with large followings like Horror Society, Dread Central, SciFi Now, and Daily Dead.

Come see this special screening at the Paradox Hotel in Santa Cruz on June 21.$10 ticket includes a Happy Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 in the Grove room at the Paradox, complimentary appetizers and cash bar and a chance to meet the filmmaker. Screening at 7:00 in the Paradox Hotel ballroom. Film run time is 1 Hr 27 mins. Screening will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker, Shankey Srinivasan. Registered Paradox hotel guests show your key card for free admission.

A feature film inspired by the book "The Last Smile" is directed by San Francisco based Indian-American filmmaker Shankey Srinivasan. A bereaved father searches for answers to explain the untimely death of his son.The film aims to increase awareness about the unregulated health supplements industry in US.Starring Danny Arroyo, Keith Stevenson and Bettina DevinCinematography by LT ChangProduced by Amit ZutshiFoundation Executive Producer Jeevan ZutshiWritten, Directed and Edited by Shankey Srinivasan

Official Selection at: Cinequest, Palm Beach International Film Festival, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, Cameroon International Film Festival, Golden Door International Film Festival, Santa Cruz Film Festival, International Festival of Film, Louisville, Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati -Special screening for Senators & Congressmen at US Capitol Hill, Washington DC (Apr 2016) Livermore International Film Festival, Marbella International Film Festival Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Philadelphia, USA, Silicon Valley Film Festival, California, USA Burbank Int'l film festival

Official Selection at: Cinequest, Palm Beach International Film Festival, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, River to River Florence Indian Film Festival, Cameroon International Film Festival, Golden Door International Film Festival, Santa Cruz Film Festival, International Festival of Film, Louisville, Indian Film Festival of Cincinnati -Special screening for Senators & Congressmen at US Capitol Hill, Washington DC (Apr 2016) Livermore International Film Festival, Marbella International Film Festival Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival, Philadelphia, USA, Silicon Valley Film Festival, California, USA Burbank Int'l film festival

Shankey Srinivasan is an award winning Indian-American filmmaker based in the San Francisco Bay Area in California. He moved from India to US to pursue higher studies and received degrees in Film Production and Electrical Engineering. His films have played at prestigious events around the world and have won awards in competition.